Embryo Transfer Cost

[sstterry]

What is the average cost of an embryo transfer (I know it will vary by locale)? How much more involved is it than AI and what type of facilities are necessary to accomplish a transfer?

Edit: I am asking about implantation and not flushing ect.

 

[Bright Raven]

Embryo transfer is performed by a certified embryologist in most cases. Many are veterinarians who later go for certification. Certification is important because embryos are sold in sets of three with a guarantee of one pregnancy out of three if "performed by a certified embryologist".

The cost for the service here in my area is a "farm call" plus the cost for the act of putting the embryo into the uterus. My vet does it for a farm call Plus $50.

The cow is placed in a chute or other restraint. The procedure is not unlike AI. The cow is given an epidural - usually Lidocaine. One arm is used to palpate through the rectum and an embryo transfer syringe is inserted into the vagina, through the cervix, and into the left or right horn of the uterus. The embryo is placed in the horn on the side where the ovary has a Corpus Luteum. In advance of inserting the rod, the embryologist palpates the ovary to locate the side with the CL. The embryo is contained in a straw that is analogous to a semen straw but of different dimensions. The straw is loaded like a semen straw.

The embryo is transferred 7 days after the cow has had a standing estrus. If a cow is in heat today. The embryo will be implanted next Friday.

I rarely have ET performed. I keep a set of embryos in my tank. I have only used one and it was unsuccessful.

 

[Ebenezer]

Cow has to be set up for an additional cost just like TAI or you have to observe heat. Our Vet likes to set up extra cows in case some do not respond to the protocol.

 

[NEFarmwife]

Ditto what Bright Raven said. We do timed AI on ours and of those who've shown heat that were marked for possible ET, get held off and then ET'd.

Also what Ebeneezer added. It's always good to have a few extra. An embryologist knows whether or not she's good to accept the transfer and may not choose to ET that cow.

If you're having ET work done at your place, let others know as they might want to share in that farm call. Not that it's exorbant but will help a bit.

 

[Redgully]

Interested to hear success rates from peoples experience as this year i may be trying some embryos for the first time.

 

[bse]

I run about 50% overall, maybe 70% this year 30% next year. Hardly ever buy any to put in.
cost 60 to put them in. i set them up myself, about 18 for drugs, cidr, and patch.
it can be good but costly on the years it doesnt work so good.

 

[T & B farms]

If the cow does not take the embryo will she cycle again just as if she did not take to ai?

 

[Bright Raven]

If the cow does not take the embryo will she cycle again just as if she did not take to ai?

Yes. Sir

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

I run about 50% overall, maybe 70% this year 30% next year. Hardly ever buy any to put in.
cost 60 to put them in. i set them up myself, about 18 for drugs, cidr, and patch.
it can be good but costly on the years it doesnt work so good.

bse,

what does it run to flush a cow?

 

[NEFarmwife]

Cost to flush is dependent on number of embryos. As they'll store them for you also.

We average just over $2k but also get 15-22 embryos. The other donors, we are half partners with and usually get the average 6-8. I know it's a bit less.

That cost is all the shots, etc... done on farm. Some folks take their donors in to get set up and house the animal till it's flushed. We set ours up ourself.

 

[Chocolate Cow2]

If the cow does not take the embryo will she cycle again just as if she did not take to ai?

Be aware that if you have a defined breeding period, say 60 days, the cow that sloughs the embryo won't have time to cycle back and breed to the clean up bull. You may have a good cow fall out through no fault of her own.

Being a recip herd is darn tuff on your cows.

 

[bse]

I run about 50% overall, maybe 70% this year 30% next year. Hardly ever buy any to put in.
cost 60 to put them in. i set them up myself, about 18 for drugs, cidr, and patch.
it can be good but costly on the years it doesnt work so good.

bse,

what does it run to flush a cow?

i do my own set up and breeding to flush, got 17 out of one this yr, had about $500 in the flush including drugs, put 9 in at 60 $540 made it $1040 . if just the flush and freezing $ 500, not sure what it may cost if she did the set up also.

 

[Franke]

If the cow does not take the embryo will she cycle again just as if she did not take to ai?

Be aware that if you have a defined breeding period, say 60 days, the cow that sloughs the embryo won't have time to cycle back and breed to the clean up bull. You may have a good cow fall out through no fault of her own.

Being a recip herd is darn tuff on your cows.

I'm a little confused when you say that. Any cow that sloughs an embryo at 60 or 90 days or later will be out of time wether it's hers or as a receipt. Also how is it tuffer on your cows than an ai program. We set up about 30 cows a year and our embryologist only passed on one or two a year and we are running at 70-80% calving rate.

 

[bse]

If the cow does not take the embryo will she cycle again just as if she did not take to ai?

Be aware that if you have a defined breeding period, say 60 days, the cow that sloughs the embryo won't have time to cycle back and breed to the clean up bull. You may have a good cow fall out through no fault of her own.

Being a recip herd is darn tuff on your cows.

I'm a little confused when you say that. Any cow that sloughs an embryo at 60 or 90 days or later will be out of time wether it's hers or as a receipt. Also how is it tuffer on your cows than an ai program. We set up about 30 cows a year and our embryologist only passed on one or two a year and we are running at 70-80% calving rate.

If your clicking along getting 28 of 30 to work and hitting that percentage, count your blessings!!!!!

If you put the clean up bull in right after you put the embryos in, it won't get them outta sync with the other cows, if there all A IED or whatever at the same time, some of my recipes come back at 14 days, only explanation is she's feeling a big follicle instead of a C L, that's why I want to see them in heat if I use them anymore, patches and watch

 

[Franke]

Be aware that if you have a defined breeding period, say 60 days, the cow that sloughs the embryo won't have time to cycle back and breed to the clean up bull. You may have a good cow fall out through no fault of her own.

Being a recip herd is darn tuff on your cows.

I'm a little confused when you say that. Any cow that sloughs an embryo at 60 or 90 days or later will be out of time wether it's hers or as a receipt. Also how is it tuffer on your cows than an ai program. We set up about 30 cows a year and our embryologist only passed on one or two a year and we are running at 70-80% calving rate.

If your clicking along getting 28 of 30 to work and hitting that percentage, count your blessings!!!!!

If you put the clean up bull in right after you put the embryos in, it won't get them outta sync with the other cows, if there all A IED or whatever at the same time, some of my recipes come back at 14 days, only explanation is she's feeling a big follicle instead of a C L, that's why I want to see them in heat if I use them anymore, patches and watch

Yes we have been very lucky but we use at youngest 3 year olds but don't like to (usually 4), calm cows, always check for heats (no heat don't use), good fleshy cows, and ones that we have raised and know their dam and sire. In my personal opinion I think our embryologist is very picky and wants high conception rates too.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We have put in 8 this fall, and 6 stuck. The other two are getting a second embryo tomorrow. We use natural heats, and our vet comes out when we need him. Our cost is about $100 per embryo (if just one cow, which is typically what we do). The farm call plus $75 to put one in. We have better conceptions using natural heats. If she does not take an embryo, we AI the third cycle (we try two cycles for embryos). We only use good, registered cows so the AI calves are still marketable if she does not take an embryo.

 

[Chocolate Cow2]

Frankie, what I meant was if she sloughs the embryo, she won't have time to re-breed if you have a short breeding period. If you have a short breeding period and you have an open cow you are left wondering if the implanted embryo was the cause. Granted, the cow might have done the same thing if she was bull bred. The program I was part of the cow was sync'd, heat detected, embryo implanted 7 days later and 10 days later the bulls were turned out for 60 days. It seemed if the cow was going to slough the embryo, she'd do it at about 35 days. That didn't allow her time to re-breed to the bull. Yes, we could have left the bull in longer and maybe should have but that was then.
What I found to be hard on the herd was this: Our earliest calving cows (most fertile) were selected to be sync'd. If you keep your own replacements, you're left selecting from the bottom half of your heifer crop because the early born calves will be ET calves. Eventually, all you have are daughters of the less fertile cows, the ones that cycled later, that weren't good enough to make the cut for ET. I was a cooperator herd for 6-8 years and that's what I learned. It's different if you buy cows specifically for recip use. At that time, very few bought cows to put embryo's in, they used cooperator herds. It's been longer ago than I realized. It's been 15 years ago.

 

[Franke]

I do agree with the hard on the herd point very much. But if you are using good bulls he will/could inject some fertility back into the not soo fertile cows?

 

[Son of Butch]

Frankie, what I meant was if she sloughs the embryo, she won't have time to re-breed if you have a short breeding period. If you have a short breeding period and you have an open cow you are left wondering if the implanted embryo was the cause. Granted, the cow might have done the same thing if she was bull bred. The program I was part of the cow was sync'd, heat detected, embryo implanted 7 days later and 10 days later the bulls were turned out for 60 days. It seemed if the cow was going to slough the embryo, she'd do it at about 35 days. That didn't allow her time to re-breed to the bull. Yes, we could have left the bull in longer and maybe should have but that was then.

What % of your recipient females conceived to embryo transfer and what % sloughed after conception?

 

[Chocolate Cow2]

We had around 250 cows. The ones that calved in the first 20 days of the 60 day breeding period were the ones synch'd. So, what I can remember is we would have at least 65 cows eligible. Out of those, there would be another 10 or so the ET guy would refuse. Out of those that had an embryo put in there would be 8-10 that would slough. The ET calves had to meet a certain weight requirement by July 1 and it was expected we would creep feed or do whatever was necessary to get those calves to that weight. I think they had to weigh 525-550lbs by July 1. They could not have any blemish. No blue spot in the eye from pinkeye. No injection site lumps. We would generally have 40-45 ET calves that made the cut.
I watched the group for heats. I made a list of the cow's tag numbers and used colored highlighters to keep track of the individual heats. Example: All cows that were in heat on Monday morning were highlighted in blue. All cows in heat on Monday afternoon were highlighted in green. Heat detection went on for three days morning and evening. The cows that cycled on the evening of the third day were generally rejected.